When we think of eye cataracts, we may picture in our mind older individuals who have progressively had their vision clouded through time. Most of us wouldn’t envision teenagers or young children. It is true that cataracts generally develop as a result of aging, diabetes, or through some type of trauma. However, cataracts can result from an inherited genetic disorder, or a childhood disease. Cataracts form on the lens located behind the iris. In a clear lens, light passes through and produces sharp images on the retina. With a cataract, light scatters, resulting in blurred vision. Fortunately, cataract surgery is fairly simple, low cost, and takes approximately 15 minutes. No matter the cause, the loss of vision is a very distressing experience for anyone.
Years have passed since Nield first witnessed the bandages being removed from a 14-year-old girl who had lost vision resulting from bi-lateral cataracts. The impact of that initial experience has driven Nield, and those working with her, to spend subsequent years providing for the people of Zimbabwe. Those who had been blinded by cataracts, are given the ability to see clearly – sometimes for the first time in their lives. According to Nield, “many of the children dance” when the bandages are removed after their surgery, but “most are quiet – it’s quite a shock to see after so long. They sing. They clap their hands. They cry.”

Globus Relief
Globus Relief was founded in 1996. While working in the salvage retail industry, two Salt Lake City businessmen were saddened to see viable medical and hygiene supplies frequently sent to landfills. Certain that these surplus resources could be rescued and put to good use, they created Globus Relief to efficiently channel overstocked, gently used, or short-dated supplies to humanitarian projects in Utah and around the world.
Since our founding, Globus Relief has distributed over $1 billion (fair market value) of supplies to more than 800 charities at work in over 140 countries. Twenty full-time employees oversee the work of gathering, processing, and distributing humanitarian supplies in our 100,000-s.f. warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah. Volunteers contribute an average of 225 labor hours per week, the equivalent of 5.6 additional full-time employees.
Globus Relief is known for strong financial efficiency, historically keeping administrative and fundraising expenses to under 3% of our total budget.